What should I look for when going to buy a fancy chef's knife? I've never gotten any nice cutlery before

Thanks, I'll swing in tomorrow and give a few a try. Glad I asked, I probably would have passed on Global since the all metal makes them look like they're trying to be more style than substance.

And what about Zwilling?

It's terrible advice because a new cook shouldn't commit to a set of knives, especially 18/20 fucking knives. A beginner cook only really needs 2-3 knives, and 90% of everything you do is going to be done with your chef's knife.

Buy the things you know that you need when you know that you need them. People who get married at 20 and are gifted knife sets end up using every knife until it's dull and end up cutting everything with a serrated steak knife because they never learned what knives are for what, or how to take basic care of them.

Plus you don't want to be committed to a single brand for 20 years when you've never really used one prior to buying the set.

Also there are better options in this day and age than Henckels, but that's just personal opinion.

You won't be able to tell the performance difference between a victornox and a 300 japanese knife. The more expensive knife will only be harder to maintain for you.

Don't be a poser. Just buy a good ol victornox that thousands of cooks trust for every day use.

I had German knifes before (Wusthoff, Zwilling) and they are OK but IMHO a bit too expensive for their quality. Still, for a home cook they are more than sufficient and easier to sharpen than some high end knifes.

Just like the coffee grinder is 10x more important than the espresso machine. The sharpening system you use on your blades is 10x more important than the blade you buy.

youtube.com/watch?v=7dFFEBnY0Bo

Don't be a poseur.

>t. never used a decent knife before

What's your favourite rockwell hardness, and steel composite?

>buy a $15 knife from the store
>nice and sharp
>hone it occasionally to keep it’s edge
>finally wears out after a couple of years
>buy another 15 dollar knife

I bought a 10 pack of 3 dollar santokus that hold a razor edge using my fast and shitty diamond wheel system with jeweler's rough for nearly a year. Calculate how long it takes me to dull a blade vs. 7 minutes to sharpen it to the point I can shave my arm hairs.

>Don't be a poser.

This. We have an amateur buddy who only buys le crueset pans and Kai knives. The guy couldn't cook spaghetti right and ends up the but of most of our cooking jokes.

Don't be that guy.

Don't know. I work in professional kitchens and only know the knives I've tried over the past 10 or so years. Some are simply better made, hold an edge longer, are more comfortable, and just easier to use and sharpen. I knew that stuff when I bought my own knives, but pretty much forgot it, so all I know is what I've experienced. The place I currently work has a couple of the Victorinox's in the OP pic and even when just sharpened they kind of suck compared to my G2.

You really need to know this shit if you're a line chef. RH, how to create a micro burr, how heavy the base of the knife is compared to the edge so you know how it'll pass through flesh and veg. When you use one of those POS steels on your blade, what you're really doing to it. You start mangling a good blade with a shitty steel, you're worse than Cutlery Hitler.

This is 101 for any cook.

Tojiro DP has become so expensive after it became a meme knife (going from $45 to $75), it's not worth it anymore.

>This is 101 for any cook

Um, not really. I know how to steel and sharpen my knives decently enough, but really should learn more. I'd like to be able to do the thing where you slice off paper thin slices of a tomato without holding it down.

You fucking young, gibble minded people will never stop using that kindergarten term, "meme" will you?

That's the gift of the internet to infantilizing humanity. Children until we suffer an MI.

That's my meme idea. Meme being a meme for the memetarded.

Sorry, you just sound so fucking stupid in print.

t. luthier

Picked this up the other day and have been happy with it so far

Have a look at Jamie Oliver's draw knife device when you want to wince. I know he's a fat, half assed dipshit but even he recommends a carbide draw device?

Peel me a radish.

I would use a peeler for that task because I am not retarded and going to pretend that a knife is somehow the best tool for the job.

You really don't know a goddamn thing, do you?

youtube.com/watch?v=X-ZJ-EDHums

You people are so depressingly dumb.

I don't have any radish to peel atm, but I was impressed with some paper thin garlic slices for aglio e olio last night

I think Zwilling is great.
I'm an chef,
I only use 2 knifes every day at work
(pic related)
the small one is just some no-name damast knife...

I really like damast knifes, and I have some big fancy damast knifes, they where expensive as fuck, and look fucking cool, but I end up just using the big Zwilling knife, and a small one...

the big damast knives look cool and everything, but they are pretty heavy, and the bladeis good for chopping stuff, but is too thick to cut small filigree stuff...

You're talking about a paring knife and an 8 inch cooks knife. jesus christ.

what's the problem? please explain.

I use them for everything. I'm happy with them.

Who shit in your cheerios? How about you recommend a knife if you know so much.

I know you're fucking with me but that's a damascus pattern welded paring knife, and a piece of shit 8 inch chef's knife.

No one cares about any of that garbage, least of which a real chef.

So troll as you wish.

Right?

Any """""chef"""" who doesn't use a 10 inch victorinox he sends in for sharpening twice/week is lying.

Victronox. Do you live in Switzerland or something? That's a shit blade. Sheffield, German or high carbon Japanese if you like to fuck around.

Smarten up, asshole.

Ladies.... please. Your estrogen is showing.
OP asked for a decent knife, not your thesis on why you don't have friends.

Yes, everyone is shrieking, or some people just don't know a fucking thing about metallurgy. Stop playing that childish game, dude.

What point are you even making here?
How is some incredibly fancy method used for showing off even relevant when 99,99% of people don't do that?

Those 99% of people peeling radishes. That's how restaurant chefs people radishes. Do you peel radishes? That was my fucking point.

>real chef
I'm chef at a small restaurant in literally bumfuck-nowhere,
not your high end fancy 6 star restaurant in dubai or some shit

so what's a good knife for you?
(and please don't say anything japanese, I hate japanese knifes for some reason...)

>sends in for sharpening twice/week
I use pic related...

I don't think I made the point. That's THE fucking blade you use to make those peels. Get it?

I peel radishes alright, in the quickest and easiest way possible, using a peeler. But hey, i'm sure those asian chefs would murder me on the streets because i somehow dishonor the radishes or something

A "good knife" is one I can use for a few weeks without resharpening. That's easy to do with a RC over 56 and a simple sharpening system that retains a micro burr will also sharpening past hair shaving levels.

I've sharpened knives on stones for a few decades. I've stopped that because it ends up causing me arthritis in my wrists. I have 2 unused stones in my cupboard now. 1k to 4k and some other skud stones.

>What should I look for when going to buy a fancy chef's knife?
If you have to ask, you shouldn't. Don't spend more than $40. Or, you could spend a ton of money and inevitably ruin your expensive fancy knife.

If you're in a professional kitchen and you don't have to sharpen your knife once a week, you're either using a dull knife for a couple of weeks or you don't do shit in the kitchen.

Well, you jokers use your burr straightening devices. Steeling a knife isn't sharpening it.

i have this but i wish i got something smaller. my ex gf cut her wrists with it once. it was really fucking deep. shit sucked,

>lee weeb jap knife superior

No, jackass. I have some very nice Blue #2 knives. You're just an entitled pansy chef who has forgotten what it's like to do real work in a kitchen.

You've taught your drug addicts the difference between sharpening and honing, right? Line chefs are universally drug addicts.

Sorry, I guess you assholes haven't read Kitchen Confidential.

Go to a couple of thrift stores and buy a few knives with handles that feel comfortable. Avoid ones from China. Try them out at home. After a month or 2, donate the ones you don't like to a thrift store and hunt for a few more. Grand total ~$25 dollars and real world experience.

Get a Wusthof until you're good enough at cooking to want something better

Tojiro is relatively cheap and pretty good quality (IMO) for the price. Holds an edge well feels good in my hands.

Seems to stay sharper for longer than my SS Henkel, but, obviously, you can't throw it in the dishwasher.

eat shit nigger. i started reading this hoping to get some info, not watch a bunch of faggots whine about the fact that others get to have an opinion or preference... this thread is proof that the human race is retarded.

As long as you don't fall for the eversharp knife meme. I got eversharp knives as a gift. Thanks but I'll just keep using the $15 paring knife I got 3 years ago.

Holy cow, you should know that everyone in your life finds you insufferable. Think of this as an anonymous wake-up call to fix your shit persona

I know it sucks when people know more than you do and it makes you insecure. I'm sorry for that. Go play your idiot games for 15 years and you'll come to the same conclusions I have. I'm insufferable because I don't give a shit how I come across to you kids. I get that. I'm done fucking around in this life.

I don't think you need any knives with a post that edgy.

>Don't know
Stopped there. Idiot.
How can you claim to know a "decent knife" if you don't even know what a decent knife IS?

What else would a teenager think? You have your entire retarded life to figure this shit out.

That was just a zing-and-run, I have no part in this.

whoa dude you're so carefree and individualistic, awesome

I'm old and miserable. You don't know how to read people at all. Don't trust your instincts. Im not joking. Regardless Im not bullshitting.

we're all laughing at you mate, in case you haven't noticed

Seconded. I haven't seen so much "I'm all dark and tortured" since high school.

of course you are. Im sure you're not in a dopemine crash depression and you and your 'friends' are laughing.

Im bored and I just really hate you people. Im not tortured, Im end stage.You fucking people have 30 years to learn what misery is. And you really really will.

I'm 28.

>wahhh i've had a shitty life and so will you
lol

How it feels and materials. Any knife can be made sharp, im partial to shun, some like wusthof, others like semi custom knives

You'll need to sharpen them but it's a good idea.

I can vouch for this if you're a beginner. You'll get the experience of picking up a good knife and you'll learn how to sharpen it for pennies rather than hundreds of dollars.
Obviously a truly experienced cook will benefit from some hand-crafted masterpiece but there's a trove of knowledge to gain from thrift shopping for knives.

My parents have a whole set of Wusthof knives and I can't remember the last time I've ever had to use the paring knife or whatever other shit is in there. I'm buying stuff for when I move out, is there any reason why I couldn't just get an 8 inch chef's knife and a bread knife and nothing else?

I know this thread has devolved into shit flinging, but if anyone's curious, I spent money on a nice honing steel and some sharpening stuff, and then just got some cheaper knives to learn by doing. I'll get more expensive knives when I know I can use them without damaging them too much.

Id suggest a cheapo bread knife, ten inch chef knife, and paring knife for detailed stuff, i keep mine wicked sharp and use it for small tasks that need finesse, and tasks that require stupidly sharp knives
My chef knife is sharp too, but less so as i use it more

You should invest it in something like a Le Creuset then.

this!
a cheap bread knife, 8 inch chef knife, and a nice paring knife is all you'll ever really need.

(just the bread knife should be cheap, the others should be good quality ones...)

Why did you post my knife? John is that you?why do you post here, you know more about cooking than I do.

10" seems kind of big, isn't it? I guess you two are right, though, I should keep a paring knife on hand too.

yeah, just get a decent 8 inch chef knife.
and a nice sharp paring knife.